From:                              Parents E-newletter [parents@memphis.edu]

Sent:                               Wednesday, February 20, 2008 4:44 PM

To:                                   Michael L Carter (mcarter1)

Subject:                          Parent's E-news February 20, 2008

 

Parent E-News

February 20, 2008

Go Tigers Go!!  Sail over the green wave and crush the big orange!

Now is the time to begin semester projects or assignments, though some students may procrastinate telling themselves that they have plenty of time. Encourage good time management skills now regarding academics, planning for Spring Break, and planning for work or academics for the summer. This is the month that students who live on campus need to make decisions about future living arrangements. “Should I live on or off campus? Should I live in the same building? Keep the same roommate?” This is a good month for students to begin to practice good time management skills, but some may need encouragement and support to plan beyond the next week.

Reminder:  You can click on the links below to go directly to the topics listed. (this feature may not work in some web-mail clients)

Calendar and Important Dates 

Parent Chat 2/26/08: Careers

Parents Club Family Weekend 4/12-13

Basketball

Bursar

Financial Aid

Residence Life and Dining Services

 

Students’ UMdrive

 

Tiger Patrol

 

Study Abroad

 

CALENDAR AND IMPORTANT DATES

March 3-9, 2008, Monday-Sunday                            Spring Break

March 14, 2008, Friday                                                   Last Day to Drop a Class

April 23, 2008, Wednesday                                           Last Day of Classes

April 25-May 1, 2008, Friday-Thursday                    Final Exams

May 3, 2008, Saturday                                                    Commencement

Link to entire Academic Calendar:

http://www.enrollment.memphis.edu/registrar/calendars/academic/ay0708.htm

or the University Event Calendar http://events.memphis.edu  (best if viewed using Explorer)

PARENT CHAT

Thank you again to all who have been participating in our monthly Parent Chats. We hope you have found them helpful. To those who have not been able to attend, you can review the chat transcripts on our website, http://saweb.memphis.edu/studentaffairs/parent_chat.htm. We will continue to post the chats as they progress. Our next Parent Chat:

 

“Careers, Internships, Employment, and Graduate School”

Tuesday February 26th 

Noon-1pm

Representatives from Career Services; Center for Counseling, Learning, and Testing; Academic Internships; and Graduate Programs.

 

To join a session, all you have to do is click this link:

http://saweb.memphis.edu/chat/session/live/, give yourself a nickname (just a nickname or something, best not to use your full name) and join the chat.

*We have noted that some of you would prefer evening chats. Though the next one is during lunch, we hope to follow up a parent chat in the evening.

PARENTS CLUB FAMILY WEEKEND

Save the Date: Parents Club Family Weekend 2008
Calling all U of M families! Join us for Family Weekend 2008, April 12-13, presented by the Parents Club. Events will include the Blue-Gray spring football game, Tiger softball games, the Presidential Leadership Recognition Awards, a reception by the Parents Club with University staff, and All-Sing. Tickets for the entire weekend are only $20/person or $50/family. For more information, please contact Lauren Isaacman at 901/678-2333 or lauren.isaacman@memphis.edu.

 

BASKETBALL

GO TIGERS GO!

(All home games at FedEx Forum)

2/20                 @ Tulane                                                                     7 pm (CT)

2/23                 Tennessee (HOMECOMING)                                      8 pm (CT)

2/27                 Tulsa                                                                            8 pm (CT)

3/1                   @ Southern Miss                                                         3 pm (CT)

3/5                   @ SMU                                                                        7 pm (CT)

3/8                   UAB                                                                             12 pm (CT)

3/12-3/15        Conference USA Tournament (FedEx Forum)             TBA                             

 

For more details, click http://gotigersgo.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/sched/mem-m-baskbl-sched.html.

 

BURSAR

 

For students who enrolled in the installment payment plan for the Spring 08 semester, the second installment is due by March 1, 2008 to avoid $25 late payment fees each for housing and tuition, where both are included.  The final installment is due April 1, 2008.

 

Fees can be paid by credit card or e-check online on TigerXpress.

 

If you are an authorized user, you can access your student’s account to view/pay fees through the log in at http://bf.memphis.edu/finance/bursar/loginchoice.php.

 

Upcoming deadlines/key dates:

March 1

1st Installment Fee Payment Deadline (4:30 p.m.) for students who utilized the Installment Payment Plan for the Spring 2008 semester

March 6

Fee Payment Deadline (4:30 p.m.) for students who register for Second Session ONLY between January 20 and March 6

April 1

2nd Installment Fee Payment Deadline (4:30 p.m.) for students who utilized the Installment Payment Plan for the Spring 2008 semester

 

FINANCIAL AID

The 2008-2009 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) – which applies to Fall 2008, Spring 2009, and Summer 2009 – is now available on-line at: www.fafsa.ed.gov.  Early application is highly recommended.  Listing The University of Memphis’ federal school code, which is 003509, will allow the Student Financial Aid Office to receive an electronic copy of your student’s FAFSA results.

Your student’s financial aid status can be found by going directly to the Spectrum Portal at: http://my.memphis.edu.  Once your student has logged in with his/her User Name and Password, he/she can select the Account$ tab.  His/her Financial Aid Requirements, if any, will be listed with red flags next to them.  He/she can download most of the required forms from the Financial Aid web page at: http://www.enrollment.memphis.edu/FinancialAid/  then click on Financial Aid Forms.  To see if he/she has been awarded, click on the Financial Aid Awards link.

 

Students interested in taking classes during the Summer 2008 semester should visit the Student Financial Aid Office at 103 Wilder Tower.  A “Summer Update Form” is available for students to complete.  Funds for Summer are extremely limited because it is a trailer to the 2007-2008 academic year.  Federal Pell Grant funds (if eligible) are available only if your student attended part-time in the Fall 2007 and/or Spring 2008 semesters, or did not receive payment for one of those semesters.  If your student received aid at another institution during the Fall and/or Spring semesters, the Student Financial Aid Office would also have to consider what aid your student already received.

IMPORTANT!!

Please note that students are responsible for activating their University of Memphis e-mail account, which is the Student Financial Aid Office’s means of communicating to the students.  In addition, students should check their Spectrum Portal regularly for updated information as the Student Financial Aid Office NO LONGER mails any letters or award notifications through regular (postal) mail.

If you have any questions or concerns, please call the Student Financial Aid Office at (901) 678-4825 or visit us in Room 103 of Wilder Tower.  If you have a scholarship inquiry, please contact the Scholarship Office directly at (901) 678-3213 or go to Room 107 in Wilder Tower.   Thank you!

 

RESIDENCE LIFE AND DINING SERVICES

Fall 2008/Spring 2009 Room Reservation

10 AM – 12 Noon and 1:30 PM – 4 PM each day

Wednesday, February 20 – Friday, February 22

 

Room Reservation Request Forms will be distributed to current residents and must be submitted to the appropriate Residence Life staff member. Current residents who fail to reserve a room for the 2008 Fall Semester must begin the application process as a new applicant by completing a new housing application and will be assigned based on date of application. Students who are in debt status with the Department of Residence Life and Dining Services will not be permitted to reserve a room until the debt is cleared.

An assignment packet will be sent to the student’s campus postal box prior to check out for the Spring Semester, along with information concerning check-in procedures and rental prepayments for the fall.  Students who do not have a campus postal box will have their information mailed to their permanent addresses.  A deadline will be given to make the $200 rental prepayment.  Students who fail to make the prepayment by the designated deadline will have their room assignments administratively canceled.  The $200 rental prepayment will apply toward the semester’s rent.  The room reservation request is a binding contractual agreement.  Students who plan to cancel their rooms after reserving a room, must cancel by July 1, 2008, in order to receive a refund of the $200 rental prepayment.  Students canceling after July 1 will still be responsible for the $200 rental prepayment.

 

Summer Room Reservation

Summer housing will be available in Carpenter Complex.  First Summer Room Reservation will be held Wednesday, March 19, 2008.  Second Summer Room Reservation will be held June 17, 2008, for first summer residents.  If housing is required during the break between the Spring Semester and First Summer opening, students may request this on the First Summer Room Reservation Form.  Accommodations will be available in Richardson Towers until First Summer check-in on June 6, 2008, for an additional cost. If only Second Summer housing is required, the student must complete an application for Second Summer Session in the Residence Life and Dining Services Office, 011 Richardson Towers prior to 2nd Summer. 

 

Closing for Spring Break

The University of Memphis residence halls, with the exception of Richardson Towers and Carpenter Complex will close as 12 Noon on Saturday, March 1 and will reopen on Sunday, March 9.  NO ONE WILL BE ALLOWED TO REMAIN, OR BE READMITTED TO THE RESIDENCE HALLS DURING THIS TIME. Residents are not required to move their belongings out of the halls; however, residents should take all valuables with them when they leave.

 

STUDENTS’ UMDRIVE

 

Everyone needs a backup plan.  Nothing is more frustrating than losing important papers or notes mid-semester.  Encourage your student to save backup copies of their work on UMdrive, a free online file storage system hosted by ITD.  Students login to UMdrive at https://umdrive.memphis.edu with the same username and password that they use for email.  Then, they can upload and store up to 250 MB of files protected by their U of M password and available from any computer with an internet browser.  If your student has any questions about using UMdrive or any other tech services, they are welcome to contact the Helpdesk at 678-8888 anytime day or night.

 

TIGER PATROL

Tiger Patrol is a personal escort program staffed by students to enhance the safety of persons on campus in the evening. There is no need to walk alone and we heavily encourage use of Tiger Patrol if you aren't walking in a group. Normal hours for the Fall and Spring semesters are 6:00 p.m.until 2:00 a.m.seven days a week. To request an escort you should call 678-4663 (678-HOME). For more information, http://bf.memphis.edu/police/tigerpatrol.php.

STUDY ABROAD

 

Learn, Grow, Discover . . .

The University of Memphis study abroad programs are designed to provide students with the opportunity to combine a rigorous academic program with a cross-cultural learning experience that is not available in the United States. We offer semester, academic year and summer programs in over 160 institutions in 40 countries to meet the diverse needs of the U of M student population. If your student is interested in studying abroad, please visit http://academics.memphis.edu/cips/abroad/default.shtml.

 

 

Your "U of M Parent Information Team"

Remember the Parents web page with links at http://www.memphis.edu/parents.htm or you can address specific inquiries to parents@memphis.edu .  Past Parent E-news are posted at http://saweb.memphis.edu/studentaffairs/parentslist.htm .

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